Cable car for street-railways



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1. W. ROBINSON.

CABLE CAR FOR STREET RAILWAYS.

No. 444,184. Patented Jan.v6, 1891.

mvENTuR' WITNEEEEE (NoModeL) 2-S11eets-Sheet 2.

. W. ROBINSON.

CABLE CAR FOR STREET RAILWAYS. No. 444,184. Patented Jan. 6, 1891.

WITNESSES INVENTEIR 'm: NGRRISYFETERS cu, PnaTa-ufnm, men'msmu, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM ROBINSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ROB- IN SONRADIAL CAR TRUCK COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

CABLE CAR FOR STREET-RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,184, dated January6, 1891.

Application filed April 3, 1882. Renewed June 2, 1890. Serial No.354,006. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: rails, to the upper portion of the tube con-Be it known that I, \VILLIAM ROBINSON, of taining the cable, and '1; thenarrow metal- Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of lined slotthrough which the clamping device Massachusetts, have invented new andusereaches the cable and through or into which ful Improvements in OableStreet-Railway the guidingbar G extends. As this slot is Cars, of whichthe followingisa specification. not ordinarily equidistant between therails,

This invention relates to that class of street the bar G is usually bentslightly at G in oror tram railway cars adapted to be moved or der toreach the slot and still be centrally lodra-wn by means of travelingcables, wire cated in the frame D but the bar G may be [0 ropes, orbelts; and it consists in mechanism attached to the frame D at anysuitable or described below whereby the trucks or wheelconvenient point.As the car moves over a frames are properly radiated when the car iscurved piece oftrack the guiding-bar G, which passing over a curvedtrack, and are of course lies in the slot 11, moves theframe D laterallyprevented from being radiated when the car (with reference to thecar-body) and causes is passing over a straight track. the trucks to beradiated, the force which ra- In the accompanying drawings, in whichdiates them being applied centrally between similar letters of referenceindicate like parts, them. Figure 1 is a plan view of the under side ofIn order that the proper radiation may be the bottom frame of a cablestreet-railway produced in the trucksviz., such radiation 20 carembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a that the axles will, when passingover a transverse section on line :20 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 curved track,take positions on lines which is a plan View of a portion of the underside are radii of the circle or are describedbysuch of the bottom frame,showing amodilication. curved track, and of course when passing Arepresents the frame of the car-bottom, over a straight track will be atright angles to 25 to which are pivoted at a the truck B, carrythe lineof the same-the guiding-bar G and ing the axles B and wheels B. Bracketspivotal connections 0 0 must necessarily be I), rigidly secured to orintegral with the truck in certain relative positionsthat is to say,

B, are loosely connected at c with brackets d, if three lines radial tothe circle or are derigidly secured to or integral with the framescribed by the curved track upon which the 0 D by means of pivotsworking in slot-s or in car was standing should be drawn, two of othersuitable manner, whereby slight elonwhich passed through the centers ofthe axles gation of the parts is permitted, when the B and the thirdthrough the guiding-bar G frame D is thrustone side for the purpose ofwhere it is secured to the frame D, and then radiating the truck. Theframe D is preflines at right angles to said radial lines tan- 3 5erably rigidly secured to the sliding rods 0, gent to the are passingthrough the center of which lie loosely in suitable openings in the saidcurved tracki. a, midway between the bars E, which are rigidly securedto the frame rails-the intersections of the three tangent A. As isevident, sliding the rods 0 in the lines would indicate the properlocations of bars E produces lateral motion in the frame the pivotalpoints 0 c.

40 D, fixed to said rods, which motion carries It will readily beperceived that the guidthe inner ends of the trucks B to one side,ing-bar G may at the points of its contact with thus producing radiationof said trucks with the sides of the sloto be provided with wheels theiraxles B. or rollers in order to lessen the friction. A

Centrally fixed to the frame D and preferspecial slot may be constructedfor the guid- 5 ably braced by the rods 9 9, so as to prevent ing-bar,if desired, or a grooved rail or one of 5 lateral bending, is theguiding-bar G. This the ordinary rails may be grooved and the barextends from said frame into the longibar extended to that point, all ofwhich would tndinal slot between the rails, through which produce thesame result.

, the clamping device reaches the cable. In the modification shown inFig. 3 each 50 In Fig. 2, 5 represents the road-bed, t the truck isindependent of the other and is provided with its own guidingbar G,which is placed at the end of a horizontal lever II, pivoted at h to theframe A and preferably sliding in a slotted disk I, which partiallyrotates in the bracket 17, fixed to the truck. As the lever II moved bythe guiding-bar G swings, it moves the truck with its axle into a radialposition on curves and into a position at right angles to the track 011straight lines. Thus each axle is under all circumstances kept in aposition at right angles to the line of travel.

I do not herein broadly claim the combination of the truck pivotallyconnected to the car-frame with a horizontally-swinging drawbar pivotedindependently to said car-frame and loosely engaging said truck for thepurpose of radiating the same, since I describe and claim suchcombination in my pending application for a patent for an improvement inrailway-cars, filed May 19, 1884, Serial No. 131,953.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railway-ear, the combination of the swiveling truck B, thelaterally-moving frame or bar supported by the car-body and adj nstablyconnected to said swiveling truck, and the guiding-bar G, connected tosaid laterallymoving bar and controlling the movementthereof, saidguiding-bar G engaging in a slot or groove in the roadway parallel tothe rail of the track, whereby the axle of said swiveling truck isbrought into a radial position on curved tracks, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a railway-car, the sliding bar or frame D, provided with thevertical guiding-bar G and adapted to be moved laterally on said car bymeans of said guiding-bar G, in combination with the swiveling trucks BB, pivotally connected to said sliding bar or frame D, situated betweensaid trucks, the whole combined and operating substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of the following elements: the car-frame A, theswiveling trucks 13 B, and the laterally-sliding frame D, situatedbetween said trucks and pivotally connected thereto, said sliding frameD being supported by said car-frame A and provided with the guiding-barG, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the following elements: the car-frame A, theswiveling trucks B B, the laterally-sliding frame D, situated betweensaid trucks and pivotally connected thereto and provided with thevertical guiding-bar G, and the roadway 8, provided with a longitudinalslot or groove parallel to the rail of the track, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a railway-car provided with swiveling trucks or axle-frames, thecombination of a swiveling axle-frame, a laterally-moving bar or devicesupported bythe car-frame and adjnstably connected to said swivelingaxleframe and controlling the movement thereof, and a projecting bar ordevice secured to said laterally-moving bar and adapted to project intoor engage in a longitudinal slot or groove in the roadway parallel tothe rails of the track, whereby the axles of said car are caused to takeradial positions on curved tracks and to become parallel on straightlines, substantially as described.

6. In a railway-car, the combinatiomwith the swiveling truck oraxle-frame carrying a single pair of wheels with their axle, of adownwardly-projecting guiding bar or device movable laterally withreference to the car-body and connected to said swiveling truck, saidguiding bar or device projecting downwardly into or engaging in alongitudinal slot or groove in the roadway parallel to the rail of thetrack, whereby the lateral movement of said downwardly-projeetingguiding bar or device produced by said slotted roadway will cause saidaxle to take a radial position on curved tracks, substantially asdescribed.

\VILLIAM ROBINSON.

Witnesses:

HENRY W. WILLIAMS, JosEPH ISHBAUGH.

